Revalations
by Mike The SyrJirk
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry stands at Dumbledore's grave and reflects of everything he knew about him...and Voldemort. He finally puts all the pieces together, and realizes everything that had been hiding from him. Oneshot


**Revalations**

**Hello guys this is just a short one shot that I threw together to be quite honest. I put a lot of thought into this, and tried my best. Now I realize I'm not the best writer by any means. So any thing you think can help, feel free to tell me. I want to know what I can improve guys, its fine don't hold back.**

**Sorry for the rant, and enjoy.**

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><p>For Harry Potter, today was one of the hardest days for him. Yet at the same time it was one of the most relieving. The battle of Hogwarts was over. The Voldemort had been defeated, the death eaters easily followed, and now all the injured wear being taken to St. Mungo's and the rest were either still celebrating or resting. The rest that survived that is.<p>

Harry felt his throat get heavy, and tears threaten to drop. He wouldn't let them. Even after so much he still had to be strong, today especially. Dumbledore wanted him to be strong. To be a stronger man then him, and he felt he finally did it.

A day ago, Harry wouldn't even consider himself stronger than Dumbledore. He always thought as Dumbledore was invincible. Hell, it could be safe to say everyone did. Him, everyone at Hogwarts, maybe everyone he'd ever known. And now he's been cast down. Years of good, and he's still reduced to the same fate as every person.

But Harry knew that Dumbledore didn't count strength in how long you lived, but what you've done. All he knew of Dumbledore was good...and now he was gone. His throat tensed again, for some reason it was still a shock.

He shouldn't have been surprised. Ever since he showed up at the beginning of the school year, he saw that Dumbledore's…he didn't know exactly what to call it. It wasn't his pride, Dumbledore had always been humble yet he'd never lost his pride. It wasn't his reputation.

Maybe it was his image? His legacy? Yes, that might be it. No matter what Harry went through Dumbledore's legacy to him had always been the same. He was a great man, and one of the greatest wizards of all time. But not even that could save him from death.

No matter what everyone thought about him, Dumbledore had still proven himself the better man. He'd always done the right thing in the end. Despite his past, Albus would always be revered as one of the greatest men Harry had ever known.

He then thought of Voldemort. He was evil, he made Harry's life hell...He paused his thoughts for a moment.

It could've been Neville though...but did Neville have it worse then Harry? Harry had no family but Neville had to know his were suffering every day of their lives.

Harry felt another pang go through his throat. Voldemort never even cared at all, he didn't care of the lives he'd destroyed, or torn apart...

That was just another difference between Voldemort and Dumbledore. Dumbledore taught others, Voldemort sought personal gain, and immortality. Showing no one the right way to go, only leaving scarred lives behind him to save his own.

Sure Voldemort had a horrible upbringing. Living in an orphanage with no true family and no one that really accepted you, would probably break anyone's good will. But rather than use what he'd gone through, all he'd learned and his power for good. He would rather better himself. Give himself what he deserved for what life had deprived him of, and suffered him through.

Rather than do that, he would rather remake it for what he thought he deserved. Remake it with Harry, killing both his parents and for what? A show of dominance and power. It was pathetic really when you thought about it.

Harry smiled at this however. Dumbledore was such a greater man than Voldemort. No matter how evil Voldemort was he couldn't even stand compared to Dumbledore. The man was a true teacher, and Harry was proof. The man did everything a great mentor would for Harry. He helped Harry rather than allow Voldemort's corruption in his life to show him down the same exact path. And everything he's done proved it. Dumbledore was always twice the wizard that Tom Riddle only hoped to be...but he was still dead.

Harry shook that thought. No Dumbledore would never be truly gone, 'A_s long as his students remained loyal to him'_ This might just be a small thought but to Harry this was a great lesson. No one is invincible. Everyone can die. It doesn't matter how great you are or are not. Death doesn't care. It has a great power. But it cannot take away a truly rightous legacy.

That's probably why Voldemort feared the thought of death so much. Tom Riddle always saw his gift of magic as power. Ultimate power. Over everything and everyone. But every moment in Hogwarts. Every year he spent in his only true 'home' he learned the horrible truth of everything. A truth he resented, and despised ever since it made himself apparent to him.

No matter how powerful he became. He could not, and would not be able to over power death. This might even be why he hated Dumbledore so much. Not because he was the only wizard alive that could rival his power. No because Dumbledore always made sure that Tom saw that no matter what, he was never strong enough.

No matter how many potions, enchantments, or horcruxes he made. He knew that there would always be that threat there.

This was a threat that no matter how hard he tried to outrun, fight, or hide from would always be right there with him. For every step of immortality he tried to take, there was always a reverse button, or an off switch.

There would always be a greater power then him.

This is what drove Tom Riddle to despise Dumbledore. This is why he despised all of non-magical kind. Why he tried so hard to discriminate, and obliterate all muggles.

Even though he was 'special', even though he was 'better' than them, Tom Riddle was just as human, just as 'weak' or 'normal' as them.

Harry felt reassured by this revelation. Voldemort did everything, every last sin, every wrong…out of fear.

Harry looked at the pure white coffin that housed Dumbledore. He looked at that and as he did he finally understood Dumbledore.

And he felt sorry for the man that made his life the heartache it was. He finally understood everything. Voldemort tried so hard to survive but he ruined every chance of surviving both in body and in spirit. Voldemort had no truly loyal followers. Not the way that Dumbledore had Harry, and now Harry like his mentor felt sorry for the man.

But Dumbledore not only felt sorry for Tom... but he might have loved him.

Not in the way you're thinking but the way that you love a good friend, or maybe an old friend. You care about what they're doing, and the way they go in life. You just feel like you should try to help them, no matter what.

You must always give someone a chance.

And that's why Dumbledore always was and will be stronger than Voldemort. The one thing Harry thought he completely understood was finally clear to him.

Voldemort had no love. He felt nothing; however Dumbledore could, and did. He used it to rat out Voldemort's weakness, his one weak spot among the rest of the solid stone defenses of a man that spent a lifetime trying to escape mortality. Voldemort had no one that would help him after all the threats and fear was stripped away. Once he lost his followers, he wouldn't be 'The Dark Lord'. He would be Tom Riddle, just another scared person.

Dumbledore figured this out a long time ago. And he made sure Harry had that same weapon as well. Finally Dumbledore had succeeded. Dumbledore had passed Harry the torch. He'd taught him everything he could, and tried as hard he could to have him see.

Now the boy that lived walked up to Dumbledore for the last time. It was a relief Harry learned the lesson in time.

At the beginning of the year Harry was still confused, and worried. He had no idea, and very little clues leading him to the ending he had finally stumbled across, but somehow it had all worked out.

Yes it was very relieving to finally breath in peace, for this was the first time in maybe his whole life that Harry was at a true peace, he laid one hand on the cold stone that kept Dumbledore from the rest of the world. He smiled slightly at the irony of the cold shell, housing such a warm spirit, "Thank you, for everything."

With that one last display of gratitude, Harry turned and finally went to live his life.

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><p><strong>Again please review if you spotted anything wrong at all. Any help at all is accepted I want to improve as much as possible. Thanks for reading guys. Until next time.<strong>


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